Henry Cavill wants to keep playing Superman for years

Such a super man, this Henry. Photo: Handout

If Henry Cavill has his way, he's not done playing Superman.

Since 2013, the British actor has donned the Man Of Steel's tights and cape for three blockbusters – Man Of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and Justice League – set in Warner Bros' DC Universe.

In an interview for Variety's Actors on Actors issue, Cavill told Patrick Stewart that he hopes to continue playing Superman for years to come.

"I've always been a fan of Superman," said Cavill, who is 37. "With a character like that, you carry the mantle with you off set. And it becomes part of your public representation.

"When you meet children, children don't necessarily see me as Henry Cavill, but they might see Superman, and there's a responsibility which comes with that. Because it's such a wonderful character, it's actually a responsibility I'm happy to have, and I hope that I get to play more of Superman in years to come."

Cavill did not specify how he'd play Superman in future films. A story in Deadline in May reported that he was in talks to return to the character, but not necessarily in a stand-alone film.

"My life has changed dramatically because of it," Cavill said. "And it has given me plenty of opportunity for roles, and yeah, it's been one of those characters which changed the entire course of my career. I'm incredibly grateful for it, and it's also taught me a lot about myself."

Stewart asked Cavill to elaborate.

"He's so good, he's so kind, and when you start to compare yourself to him, because you're playing him, you start to really look inwards," Cavill said.

"You say, 'Am I a good person? Can I be a good enough person to play Superman?' And if you ever hear a whisper in there which is like, 'Hmm, hold on a second. Maybe not," then you adjust it, and you make sure you are a better person. I think that's all we can do in life."

The actor also touched on doing his own stunts in the Netflix feature, The Witcher. In the series, he plays Geralt of Rivia, the protagonist based on author Andrzej Sapkowski's books.

"For me, when it comes to stunts, I've always enjoyed doing the physical stuff," Cavill said. "Working with Tom Cruise (on Mission: Impossible - Fallout) really helped – or maybe, in the eyes of the producers, made worse my enjoyment for stunts.

"I really want to do them now, and I think it's an essential piece to the character. If an audience is watching Geralt on-screen, they must believe that it is me.

"If it's not me, I feel like I've betrayed the character in some way, and so I try and do as much as a production will let me." – Reuters